Lyty Mini Bamboo Chinese Tea Tray

Reviewers who mention cleaning say it's straightforward — two specifically noted that it's easy to clean. After each tea session, empty the water reservoir, wipe down the bamboo surface, and let everything air dry. The removable storage box makes this simple. The most important maintenance tip from reviewer experience is making sure you dry it thoroughly after use — one person noted it can be difficult to fully dry, and a couple saw the bottom veneer start to deteriorate with prolonged moisture exposure. So don't let water sit in the reservoir overnight, and occasionally let the whole tray dry out completely. Bamboo is naturally somewhat water-resistant, but it's not waterproof.

It does a solid job containing water during normal gongfu brewing — five reviewers praised its water containment specifically. However, it's not completely waterproof protection for your furniture. A couple of reviewers noted that the bottom veneer can absorb moisture over time, and with heavy pouring the reservoir can overflow. If you're placing it on a nice desk or table, it's worth putting a small mat or coaster underneath as extra protection, and always emptying the reservoir promptly after your session. Think of it as a tea preparation tool that manages water well, rather than a fully sealed waterproof barrier.

This tray hits a sweet spot for a few types of tea drinkers. If you're a beginner exploring gongfu tea and want an affordable, non-intimidating entry point, it's a great starting tray. If you're an experienced tea drinker who wants a compact setup for your desk or office, reviewers love it for that purpose — it creates a calming ritual in a work environment. And if you brew solo or with one other person using a gaiwan and a couple of cups, the dimensions are just right. It's not the tray for you if you regularly host tea sessions for groups, need heavy water drainage, or want something that can sit on a surface without any protection underneath.

For a typical gongfu session with one or two people — warming teaware, rinsing the first steep, maybe a couple of cup rinses — you can usually get through the whole session before needing to empty it. The reservoir is sized for moderate water use, which matches how most people brew gongfu tea. If you're doing multiple long sessions back-to-back or using a lot of water for warming and rinsing, you'd want to check and empty it between sessions. Reviewers generally didn't flag reservoir capacity as a problem during normal use, though one mentioned that heavy water pouring can cause overflow, so just pace your pours and you'll be fine.

This Lyty tray uses a reservoir-type design — the top surface has slits that let water drain down into a removable storage box underneath. When you pour water over your gaiwan to warm it, rinse your cups, or discard the first steep, the excess water flows through those slits into the box below. You just pull out the reservoir and empty it when it fills up. One thing to be aware of: a few users noted that with heavy water pouring, the slits can sometimes struggle to drain fast enough, so it works best with moderate, controlled pours typical of gongfu brewing rather than dumping large amounts of water at once.

A tea tray catches all the water that's part of traditional gongfu tea brewing — when you rinse your teaware, warm your cups, or discard rinse water, it all flows into the tray's reservoir instead of making a mess. With this Lyty bamboo tray specifically, there's a built-in water storage box underneath that collects everything, so you can focus on brewing without worrying about spills. Reviewers consistently mention that it removes the anxiety of spilling during tea preparation, which is especially helpful if you're still learning gongfu technique.

For gongfu-style service on this Lyty tray, you'd typically arrange your gaiwan (or small teapot) in the center with two or three small tasting cups around it. The 11 x 7 inch surface fits a 1-2 person gongfu setup nicely — think a gaiwan, a fairness pitcher, and a couple of cups. You warm everything by pouring hot water over the vessels, let it drain through the tray, then brew and serve as normal. The bamboo surface gives it a really clean, traditional look that reviewers say enhances the whole tea ceremony aesthetic.

On this size tray (11 x 7 inches), you can comfortably fit the essentials for a personal gongfu session: a gaiwan or small teapot, a fairness cup (cha hai), and 2-3 drinking cups. Some people also keep tea tongs or a tea pick on the tray. Reviewers who use it for daily desk tea tend to keep it simple — just a gaiwan and one or two cups. It's not designed for a full tea service with multiple accessories; think of it as a compact, personal setup rather than a display piece for a large tea collection.

Tea trays generally come in three styles: reservoir types (like this Lyty tray) that collect water in a box underneath, pipe-drain types that connect to a tube leading to a bucket, and dry trays that are purely decorative with no drainage. This Lyty tray is a reservoir type, which is the most portable and desk-friendly option — no tubes or buckets to deal with. You just empty the storage box when it gets full. Pipe-drain trays handle more water but need more space, making them better for dedicated tea rooms. For an office or small apartment setup, a reservoir tray like this one is usually the most practical choice.